Intravenous Administration of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Leads to an Inflammatory Response in the Lung

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) administered intravenously (IV) have shown efficacy in preclinical models of various diseases. This is despite the cells not reaching the site of injury due to entrapment in the lungs. The immunomodulatory properties of MSCs are thought to underlie their therapeutic effects, irrespective of whether they are sourced from bone marrow, adipose tissue, or umbilical cord. To better understand how MSCs affect innate immune cell populations in the lung, we evaluated the distribution and phenotype of neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages by flow cytometry and histological analyses after delivering human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (hUC-MSCs) IV into immunocompetent mice. After 2 hr, we observed a significant increase in neutrophils, and proinflammatory monocytes and macrophages. Moreover, these immune cells localized in close proximity to the MSCs, suggesting an active role in their clearance. By 24 hr, we detected an increase in anti-inflammatory monocytes and macrophages. These results suggest that the IV injection of hUC-MSCs leads to an initial inflammatory phase in the lung shortly after injection, followed by a resolution phase 24 hr later.